The John Trumbull Birthplace, also known as the Governor Jonathan Trumbull House, is a historic house museum on the Lebanon Green in

Lebanon, Connecticut Lebanon ( ) is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The population was 7,142 at the 2020 census. The town lies just to the northwest of Norwich, directly sou ...

, built in 1735 by Joseph Trumbull as a wedding present for his son Jonathan (1710–1785). The house was a center of political and military strategy during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, when Jonathan Trumbull was Governor of Connecticut. It was also the birthplace of

John Trumbull John Trumbull (June 6, 1756 – November 10, 1843) was an American painter and military officer best known for his historical paintings of the American Revolutionary War, of which he was a veteran. He has been called the "Painter of the Revolut ...

(1756–1843), an artist known for his depictions of the war and its people. The house was designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

in 1965.

Description

The house is a -story wood-frame structure, five bays wide, with a side-gable roof, wooden clapboard siding, and a large central chimney. Its centered entrance is flanked by fluted pilasters and topped by a transom window and an entablature. Two ells extend back from the house, joining it to another small cottage used as a caretaker's residence. The first floor of the interior is divided into a parlor, dining room, and bedroom, with a kitchen and pantry in the ell. The second floor has bedrooms and a secret "bolthole" chamber which Governor Trumbull used as an office. The house includes a selection of Trumbull possessions, as well as other period items.

History

Joseph Trumbull built the house in 1735 when his son Jonathan married Faith Robinson. Jonathan Trumbull was elected governor of the

Connecticut Colony The Connecticut Colony, originally known as the Connecticut River Colony, was an English colony in New England which later became the state of Connecticut. It was organized on March 3, 1636, as a settlement for a Puritans, Puritan congregation o ...

in 1769 and became the first governor of the State of Connecticut in 1776. He was also a successful merchant, managing his affairs from this house. Many meetings took place in his home during the years of the

(1775–1783), as well as in the adjacent

War Office The War Office has referred to several British government organisations throughout history, all relating to the army. It was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, at ...

. The War Office was originally connected to the house by a secret passage, and it functioned as a major logistical center for the northern states. A troop of French Army cavalry was stationed on the Lebanon Green during the winter of 1780–1781, and these troops joined those of the

Comte de Rochambeau Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau (1 July 1725 – 10 May 1807) was a French Royal Army officer who played a critical role in the Franco-American victory at the siege of Yorktown in 1781 during the American Revolutionary War. ...

when he marched through in 1781 on their way to join

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

and the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

prior to the

Siege of Yorktown The siege of Yorktown, also known as the Battle of Yorktown and the surrender at Yorktown, was the final battle of the American Revolutionary War. It was won decisively by the Continental Army, led by George Washington, with support from the Ma ...

. and

was born in the house June 6, 1756. He served as an aide to George Washington in the war and became an artist. He was commissioned by Congress in the 19th century to paint four of the eight historical paintings that adorn the

United States Capitol rotunda The United States Capitol building features a central rotunda below the Capitol dome. Built between 1818 and 1824, the rotunda has been described as the Capitol's "symbolic and physical heart". The rotunda is connected by corridors leading so ...

. He also painted portraits of many of the war's military leaders. In 1830, the house was moved several hundred feet to its present location. The Connecticut chapter of the

Daughters of the American Revolution The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (often abbreviated as DAR or NSDAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a patriot of the American Revolutionary War. A non-p ...

purchased the property in 1934 and have operated it since then as a historic house museum. The property is open to the public on weekends from May through October. The house was declared a

in 1965 and listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1966.

References

External links

Connecticut Daughters of the American Revolution

Governor Trumbull House and Wadsworth Stable

– Town of Lebanon * {{National Register of Historic Places Houses in Lebanon, Connecticut National Historic Landmarks in Connecticut Museums in New London County, Connecticut Houses completed in 1735 Trumbull, John Birthplace Trumbull, John Birthplace Historic places on the Washington–Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Register of Historic Places in New London County, Connecticut Trumbull, John Historic district contributing properties in Connecticut Daughters of the American Revolution museums Trumbull family

Description

History

See also

References

External links